Will competition get LEO's or Armed Civilians killed?

[cclaxton]

By Ron Avery at PoliceOne.
My favorite quote:
"The reason is that the higher end competitive shooter has trained under far greater stress and pressure than you can put on yourself in training by yourself. He has mastered his emotions, his equipment and has a driving will to prevail that will come into play when he enters a fight….provided he has the right values and mindset for the fight in place as well."

This article was targeted at LEO's, but the same applies to concealed carriers. Of course tactical training and having the right mindset and courage applies as well.

http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Saf...et-you-killed/

Cody

[HopetonBrown]

Mike Pannone told us to shoot competition. Just last month he made Master in L and L10. Ken Hackathorn was a founder of USPSA and IDPA. Vickers was a founder of IDPA. Frank Proctor is a IDPA M and USPSA GM. Vogel was full time LE and IPSC world champion. Rob Haught is full time LE and IDPA SSP champion. That's what Hackathorn would call a "clue".

[orionz06]

The only time I have seen or heard anyone dissing competition is when they weren't at the top anymore.

[Lester Polfus]

Can anybody provide a single, anecdotal incident where competing got a good guy killed on da street?

[olstyn]

Even as a lowly D-class USPSA shooter, I feel like I've gotten significant benefit out of competing. If nothing else, it provides you with an honest assessment of your shooting ability under stress. I always knew I could stand to gain some skill, and competing only reinforced that thought, but going to my first level 2 match this summer was eye-opening. It was a whole other world from the club matches I'd been shooting, and several of the stages just kicked the crap out of me. Some of the things I was getting hurt by in competition wouldn't matter on "the street," but that didn't make them sting any less. The end result is that I really would like to get some serious training now; it's just a matter of getting the when, where, and who together with the money. Hopefully soon.

[Pup town]

Can anybody provide a single, anecdotal incident where competing got a good guy killed on da street?

No.

(Furthermore, a lot/many/most of the 'training scars' stories about LEOs being killed due to bad habits ingrained from training are apocryphal, as well- the most famous being the one about empty cartridges being found in the trooper's pocket.)

Ten years ago it was more common to have 'serious' tacticians dismiss competition. The tide has turned, and the benefits of competition are now widely accepted.

[Alpha Sierra]

The end result is that I really would like to get some serious training now; it's just a matter of getting the when, where, and who together with the money. Hopefully soon.

Ben Stoeger's and Steve Anderson's books are not all that expensive and it's like having free coaching from them every time you go to the range or dry fire at home.

The only thing better would be to take a class from either of them or some other competitor of similar caliber.

[JV_]

Great competitors don't always make great instructors, don't just pick an instructor because of their success in matches, pick ones that are great in both areas.

[Pup town]

Great competitors don't always make great instructors, don't just pick an instructor because of their success in matches, pick ones that are great in both areas.

Everyone says this, but no one ever says who the bad (or not great) instructors are.

[KeeFus]

A few years ago there was a podcast by Mas Ayoob with Bill Allard. It was full of his experiences from the stakeout squad and how important he believed competition was when it came to winning gunfights.

All I could find at the moment about it was from American Gunner. This outtake kinda brings it home to me:

Allard, now retired, won a National Championship in conventional pistol shooting at Camp Perry, among his many titles. Cirillo shot mainly PPC during the time he was on the Stakeout Unit, but later became a big fan of IPSC, and had become a fan of IDPA as well before his untimely death in a traffic accident. Irrespective of which discipline they preferred, each had learned to make perfect shots under time limits “when the pressure was on.” Jim and I were on the same squad at the first Bianchi Cup match in 1979, and at one point in the tournament he told me he was feeling more pressure than he had in any of his gun battles. When I asked him why, he explained there had been a lot of time for the pressure to build at the match he knew was certain — and the fights happened so fast he was often able to run on auto pilot.

This article goes on to suggest that even Wyatt Earp had competed in some informal matches while he was a lawman.

http://americanhandgunner.com/when-cops-compete/

IMO, shooting competitions doesn't mean you will be killed in da skreetz. Sure, there are folks that wont shoot competitions because of their ego's.